Tiltable gate.



PATENTED SEPT. 18, 1906.

T. W'. ELBERSON.

TILTABLE GATE.

APPLICATION FILED PBB.1.1906.

[NVENTOR Tlwmms WE l1) err 01% fies/m WITNESSES.-

THOMAS W. ELBERSON, OF SEDGWVIOK, KANSAS.

TILTABLE GATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 18 1906.

Application filed February 1, 1906. Serial No. 299,033.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS W. ELBER- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sedgwick, in the county of Harvey and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tiltable Gates and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description 'of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 7

This invention relates to gates, and more particularly to the class of tilting gates and the object is to present certain valuable improvements in structures of this type.

With this understanding the invention may be said to consist in the arrangements pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gate embodying the principles of my invention and characterized by employing a counterbalancing-spring. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of this form of gate. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section of the latching gate-post; and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a similar form of gate employing a counterbalancing-weight, certain parts at the rear of the gate being shown as broken away for the purpose of clearer illustration.

Referring now to the drawings, A indicates a rear swinging frame hinged at its vertical rear end at a and b to post C, which is sunk into the ground in the ordinary manner. B is the tilting gate-body, pivoted at its lower rear corner, as at c, to the rear frame, and D is the latching gatepost, also sunk in the ground and cooperating with the front end of the gate-body.

The gate-body B is preferably, though not necessarily, formed of a plurality of horizontal rails cl, whose front ends are received and rigidly secured between the laterallys aced members 6 of the end bar On each side of the gate-body a diagonal brace 9 may be provided, the two braces being preferably opposed to each other on the two sides of the body and receiving between them the sev eral rails cl. Two other parallel spaced braces 'h may extend upward near the rear of the gate-body from the lower ends of braces g and incline slightly forward. The rear ends of rails (Z are not connected by a bar and are cut off on an incline extending upward and forward, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4, for a purpose presently to be described. Projecting forward from the end barf of the gate-body are locking devices, preferably a pair, in the form of rigid projections 'i, having their upper edges beveled or inclined, as at 7c. These projections 'L cooperate with apertures Z in the inner face of a plate n, secured to gate-post D, though it will be obvious that these apertures might equally well be formed in the body of the post itself. The tops of apertures l are beveled or inclined, as at 0, to correspond to the form of projections c'. At the lower front corner of the gate-body, though other location may be selected, if desired, is disposed a downward-projecting spike 19, whose function. it is to take into the ground when the gate-body is in its normal position.

The rear swinging frame comprises a substantially upright rear bar g, consisting of the laterally-spaced members g and carrying the hinges on and b and the bar 7", having a slight forward and upward inclination from bar (1, and like the latter, formed of laterallyspaced members 1". Through the lower end of bar 7" passes the transverse pivot c of the tilting gate-body. Bars g and r of the rear frame may be rigidly connected together by suitable braces s, secured between the spaced members of the bars. The rear ends of rails d of the gate-body are received slidably in the space between'the members of bars q and r, and by reason of the rear ends of these rails being out off obliquely they will not project beyond bar 9 when the gate-body is tilted. It will thus. be seen that the rear swinging frame consists, in effect, of two laterallyspaced halves, between which the tilting body is received.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a counterbalancingspring t, connecting the upper front corner of the gate-body and the top of the rear frame. It is desirable that this spring be of such tension as to counterbalance most of the weight of the gate-body, so that the least effort on the part of a person desiring to open the gate will be sufficient to tilt the body upward.

In Fig. 4 is illustrated one equivalent of the counterbalancing-spring in the form of a weight u, carried at the end of a rope or wire v, attached at one end to the gate-body and at the other to the weight and passing over a pin or pulley w at the top of the rear frame. This weight performs the same function as that ascribed to the spring.

At the front of the tilting frame may be provided a slide y, which takes into an aperture .2 in plate at of the latch-post.

In the operation of the gate the gate-body is first tilted upward, any suitable handhold m being provided at the front of the body for this purpose until s ike 1a is withdrawn from the ground and loci moved from their sockets in the latch-post. It will be noted that, although the front end of the gate-body stands normally in close juxtaposition to the inner surface of the latch-post the beveling or rounding of the projections and sockets permits the projections to move upward in an are from their sockets without producing any binding action. The gate-body having been tilted and this action having been facilitated by the counterbalancing means already described the rear frame and body are swung laterally, like any ordinary gate. In the normal position of the gate the gate-body may be slightly inclined downward from its rear end,

so that its front end may rest upon the ground. This takes a large part of the weight of the gate off the hinges and insures that the spike projecting downward from the front end of the gate-body will be firmly embedded in the earth, or, if desired, the lower edges of projections i may rest forcibly upon the bottoms of their sockets in the latch-post so that the latter member will receive the weight which rested on the ground in the other arrangement. It will be seen that the gate when closed is securely held against being swung open by the action of wind, animals, and the like; that means are provided for relieving the hinges of most of the strain usually imposed thereon, and that the construction of the gate will enable it to be lifted over obstaclesas, for instance, snow-drifts or inequalities in the ground. A still further advantage of a gate constructed after my invention is that it may be set up on uneven ground where other gates cannotbe utilized, it being apparent that it is immaterial with my construction whether the gate-post is set on higher ground than the latch-post, or vice versa. The forward projections on the tilting gate-body and the downward-projecting spike afford means for preventing lateral swinging of the gate. The locking-slide may be employed when there is danger of animals lifting the gate from beneath.

I particularly desire it to be noted that while for purposes of illustration I have shown the principles of my invention as being embodied in a wooden gate the structure might with equal advantage be formed of metal; nor is it at all essential to the invention that the particular arrangement of rails,

ing projections i are recorner to said frame at the rear of the latterand arranged to be received and guided in the open region therein when tilted, and further having its rear end inclined upward and forward from the pivot in order to avoid contact with the post during tilting.

2. In a gate, the combination of a rear swinging frame inclined upward and forward at its front end, and a tilting gate-body pivoted to said frame and having its rear end inclined upward and forward, said frame being constructed to receive and guide the tilting body when tilted.

3. In a gate, the combination of a tilting gate-body having its rear end inclined upward and forward, a rear swinging frame to which said body is pivoted constructed to receive and guide said body when tilted and having its front end inclined upward and forward, and means\for counterbalancing the gate-body.

4. In a gate, the combination of a tilting gate-body having its rear end inclined upward and forward, a rear swinging frame to which said body is pivoted constructed to receive and guide said body when tilted and having its front end inclined upward and forward, locking projections extending from the front end of the tilting body, and a spike projecting downward from the front lower corner thereof.

5. In a gate, the combination with a rear swinging frame inclined upward and forward at its front end and comprising laterallyspaced halves, of a tilting gate-body pivoted to said frame and arranged to be received and guided between the halves of the swinging frame and having its rear end inclined upward and forward, as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In a gate, the combination with a rear swinging frame comprising an upright hingebearing bar consisting of laterally-spaced members, a second bar also consisting of laterally-spaced members extending upward and forward from the lower end of the firstnamed bar, and suitable braces connecting the bars, of a tilting gate-body pivoted at its lower rear corner to the bottom of said frame and arranged to slide between the laterallyspaced members of said bars, and having its rear end inclined upward and forward, as and for the purposes set forth.

7. In a device of the character described,.

the combination with a rear swinging frame end slidably received between the spaced comprising a hinged bar formed of laterallymembers of the bars of said frame. 10

s aced members and a guiding-bar rigid with In testimony whereof I affix my signature t e hinged bar and inclined slightly forward in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

5 therefrom, said guiding-bar likewise being THOMAS W. ELBERSON.

formed of spaced members, and a tilting Witnesses: body pivoted'at its lower rear corner to the J. H. HUME,

bottom of the rear frame and having its rear MAT. V. NAPIER. 

